NRL Tropical Cyclone Web Page: 15 Years of Quasi-Operational and R&D Applications

Jeff Hawkins1, Kim Richardson1, Mindy Surratt1, Buck

Sampson1, Tom Lee1, Song Yang1, Joe Turk2, Steve Miller3, Arunas Kuciauskas1, John Kent4, Jim Vermeulen5, Yiping

Wang5, Paul McCrone5, and Jeff Tesmer5

Organizations: 1Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

3Cooperative Institute for Research of the Atmosphere (CIRA), Ft. Collins 4Science Applications International Inc, Monterey, CA

5Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, Monterey, CA

Sponsor: Office of Naval Research (ONR)

SPAWAR C4I PEO4 March 6, 2012

CPHC

New Delhi

La Reunion

Tokyo

Australia Nadi, Fiji

180o

NHC 33%

8%

11%

13%

11%

7%

140o

17%

JTWC – Area of Responsibility 75% of the Planet, 89% of the TCs

39 Hr Eyewall Evolution (Nuri): IR (MTSAT) vs Passive Microwave

08-18 0750Z 08-18 2053Z 08-19 1539Z 08-19 2305Z

F-14 F-14 TMI F-15

8-18 0730Z 8-18 2020Z 8-19 1530Z 8-19 2257Z

MTSAT

Tropical Cyclone Monitoring

Detects eye formation 24 hours earlier

Large Hurricane

Remove doubt

Small inner eye

Outer rainband –

huge radius

Hurricane Irene: 08-26-2011 GOES-13/NASA AMSR-E

Tropical Cyclone Monitoring

Readily maps storm structure – Intensity correlation

TC Monitoring Needs: • Storm location, structure, and intensity anywhere (24/7) • Mitigate vis/IR imagery limitations (cloud obscuration)

NRL Microwave Sensor Efforts • Tap into near real-time microwave sensors

• microwave imagers (SSM/I and TMI) • microwave sounders (AMSU-B)

Global resource: Public accessible web page • Process satellite data for TCs in all basins • Provide one-stop-shop for TC microwave products

Tropical Cyclone Monitoring Needs

Transition R&D demonstrations to operations: Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC)

Transition to operations: • Need 24/7 support

• NRL works 8hr/day, 5 days/week • Things happen: power interruptions, computer issues

Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center • Picked up the tasking to support JTWC and NHC • National center of excellence for microwave imagers • Involved in SSM/I cal/val since day 1

How did transition succeed? • Same digital near real-time data sets • Same SeaSpace TeraScan software early on for processing • Small dedicated core teams collocated, little turnover • Collaborative exploratory research and transition sponsoring

Tropical Cyclone Web Page

Imagers (Vis/IR): NOAA – AVHRR (5) DMSP - OLS (4) NASA - MODIS (2) NOAA - VIIRS

30 Sensors: 225 GB/day

Microwave Imagers: DMSP – SSM/I (1), SSMIS (3) NASA - TMI NRL - WindSat Microwave Sounders: NOAA - AMSU-B (3), MHS (2) Microwave Radar: NASA - PR, CloudSat

Team Monterey - Polar Orbiter Data

ATCF Track

Graphic

“Active” Storms

Microwave products

NRL TC Web Page http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html

Suite of vis/IR and water vapor

imagery from GEO/LEO sensors

Satellite Overpass

Times

Irene

Hurricane Ike

TC Structure Time Series

Readily view storm structural evolution

Key Ingredients: • Combined Navy 6.2/6.4 (exploratory and applications funding) • Partnership with JTWC, NHC, & CPHC, “drive web page” • Leverage and populate ATCF (Sampson)

Early NRL Microwave Products • Joe Turk, Tom Lee, Kim Richardson, Buck Sampson, and John Kent

• adding R&D AMSR-E (super sensor) when it came online

How did the TC web page evolve? • Global feedback, WMO RSMC, country met offices, academia, others • Policy change: R&D sensors available in near real-time

NRL Tropical Cyclone Web Page

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer: AMSR-E

Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner Spacecraft: EOS Aqua, ADEOS-2 Launch: May 2002, Dec 2002 Heritage: TMI, SSM/I Channels: 6, 10, 18, 23, 36, 89 GHz 50, 50, 25, 25, 15, 5 km Swath: 1600 km (1450 – AMSR) Enhancements for TC Applications: (1) Spatial resolution (36 GHz), (2) SST, (3) High winds closer to intense rain. Web Links: http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/AMSR/ http://eos-pm.gsfc.nasa.gov/

AMSR

TMI

SSMI

Typhoon Ketsana

(20W)

AMSR-E Enhanced Resolution: 36 GHz

Double Eyewalls?

TRMM: • Did not plan for near real-time product dissemination • Immediately saw value in TC web page utility • NASA revised data processing stream for TC and other users!

AMSR-E • Followed example from TRMM and MODIS (RTDPE) processing • Best overall imager due to spatial resolution and swath size

R&D Satellite Data Latency

New sensors with near real-time data: • Megha Tropiques MADRAS (available in Fall?) • GCOM-W1 AMSR-2 (May 18, 2012) • GPM (Global Precipitation Mission)

WINDSAT

Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner Spacecraft: Coriolis Launch: 2003 (January) Heritage: SSM/I Channels: 7, 11, 19, 24, 37, No 85 GHz ~55, 40, 20, 13, 11 km Swath: 1025 km Enhancements for TC Applications: (1) Surface wind vectors, non-rain areas, (2) Spatial resolution (37 GHz), (2) Sea Surface Temperature, (3) High winds closer to intense rain. Web Links: http://www.pxi.com/windsat.main.html

WindSat TC Structure SSM/I 37 GHz H-Pol

WindSat 37 GHz H-Pol

SSM/I 85 GHz H-Pol

Exposed Low-level circulation

WindSat TC Winds

Weak SW quadrant winds

highlighted

TCS-08 Satellite Visualization TCS-08 flight tracks overlain on 85 GHz image

Google Earth kml files

WC-130J track

Storm track

WC-130J track

NRL P-3 track

P-3 explores weak eye

F-16 SSMIS 91 GHz imagery more clearly outlines the “open-weak” section of typhoon Jangmi’s eye, greatly assisting P-3 flight operations

Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner Spacecraft: Mega-Tropiques Launch: Oct. 12, 2011 Heritage: TMI Channels: 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89, 157 GHz ~40, 40, 40, 10, 6 km Swath: 1700 km Enhancements for TC Applications: (1) Tropical inclination (20 deg), (2) 3-5 overpasses/day for TCs +/- 23 deg (3) Data latency, additional stations in the works Web Links: http://meghatropiques.ipsl.polytechnique.fr/

Source: N. Karouche, CNES

Megha Tropiques - MADRAS

Megha Tropiques - MADRAS

3-5 overpasses/day for TCs +/- 23 deg

SSM/I

TRMM TMI

AMSR-E AMSR

WINDSAT

SSMIS

FY-3 MWRI

Russia MTVZA

YEAR 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Primary mission Extended mission Feb 2012 Hawkins

Passive Microwave Imager Missions

Launches Future

Megha Tropiques MADRAS

GCOM AMSR

GPM

DWSS-1

Megha Tropiques MADRAS

GCOM AMSR

DWSS-1

What’s left in a few years after SSM/I and old R&D satellites fail

Will these data sets be available in near real-time?

OceanSat-2 Wind Vectors (Demo)

12S Giovanna 2-15-12 2124Z

NOAA Paul Chang Large wind field asymmetries

Version 1.0 NOAA-NASA

Version 2.0 Next Step

Operational

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day Night Band (DNB)

Tropical Cyclone 10P Jasmine

02-07-12 1422Z

0122 (Local)

Infrared Day Night Band

IR-DNB Multi-spectral Low-clouds:

Yellow Cirrus: Light blue

15 Years of TC Community Availability

Naval Research Laboratory (R&D) http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html

Up to 5 Million Hits/Day

10+ Years of Operational Support

FNMOC https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/tcweb/cgi-

bin/tc_home.cgi

NRL Tropical Cyclone Web Page: 15 Years of Quasi-Operational and R&D Applications